Application of microencapsulated biopesticides to improve repellent finishing of cotton fabrics

MARIA M. MIRO SPECOS; GARCÍA, J.J; GUTIERREZ A.C.; LAURA G. HERMIDA

JOURNAL OF THE TEXTILE INSTITUTE

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2016 vol. 108 p. 1454 - 1460

0040-5000

ABSTRACTInsect repellent textiles are currently being investigated as a complementary tool to control disease vectors, such as mosquitoes. The application of microencapsulated biopesticides to textiles is a promising low-toxicity alternative to other control methods, as microcapsules may prolong the release of the repellent agent. In this work, microcapsules containing two biopesticides, namely citronella essential oil and citriodiol® were prepared and applied to cotton textiles using a variety of techniques. The aim of this work was to evaluate these functional textiles to select the most efficient, durable systems. Citriodioltreated cotton presented a prolonged durability, and 100% repellency could be achieved for more than30 days after padding onto cotton fabrics. It has to be pointed out that all these repellent textiles have been obtained by scalable, low-cost methods which would require no additional investment for textile finishing industries.